


Even Lovers Drown

by Equinoxes



Category: Den lille Havfrue | The Little Mermaid - Hans Christian Andersen
Genre: "The Mermaid" by William Butler Yeats, Alternate Ending, Angst, F/M, The Little Mermaid (1989) - Freeform, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-06-22
Packaged: 2018-04-05 15:29:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4185075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Equinoxes/pseuds/Equinoxes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A mermaid finds a ship about to be swept away by a storm and decides to save the life of one of it's passengers. It doesn't end the way she expects it to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Even Lovers Drown

_A mermaid found a swimming lad,_

The oceans are an enigma wrapped in blue blanket of water teeming with life. Fish dart through coral reefs and swim freely in the open space. Green seaweed gently blows on the ocean floor as if they were grass blowing the wind. Grey dolphins chatter happily between each other as they breached out of the water for air.

Down below, where not even the sun’s light can permeate the darkness; life exists in the form of mysterious and terrifying creatures that humans have yet to discover. Angler fish swim about with their glowing lights to attract prey, crabs quickly scuttle across the floor, and sea anemones grow without light.

And who rules these vast oceans? Who tames these wild creatures? - The protectors and guardians of the sea or in other words, mermaids. There is one king to rule them all and his name is Triton. His wife is dead, but not before giving him seven daughters representing the seven seas.

The youngest of the daughters had a fascination with all things living on land. She had a whole collection of things in a cave: mirrors, brushes, pens, pots, and pans. She even has a marble statue of a handsome human holding a sword and whose was is on a shield.

The mermaid loved this statue as much as she did with her own life. She wanted him to fall in love with her and live together. But it was an inanimate object, a bust of a real life person. She knew that he was human, and she could never meet him on land. She’ll burn up to a crisp.

Her father and sister looked at her obsession with disgust. To them, humans were disgusting creatures who take what they want and never give back. They pollute the oceans with their filth and kill their marine brethren for food.

Every day, in secret, the little mermaid would come to her cave and admire all the human things that she found. Oh how she longed to be a part of their world! Life up above seemed so much more interesting than life in the sea… She practically saw all of the world’s oceans. There was nothing more to explore.

She heard that if you bring a human to the sea, then they’ll turn into mermaids. If the legend was true, then she won’t have to turn into a mermaid – if there was such a process. She won’t have to leave her home and upset her family.

The closest she has ever been to the human world was when she breached the surface of the water and into the air, near the wooden docks. The little mermaid could hear human chatter from underneath the surface. To them, it was just a discussion about how much fish did they caught that day, a mundane and ordinary conversation.

She was, of course, was not a human so to her, it was more interesting than hearing the orcas whistle to their friends.

That was the first, and so far, only time that she that came close to the human world – until one stormy night. Waves crashed down onto the shores and the water was convulsing upon itself. Gale force winds sliced the surface and the sky was a grey mess. There was no life in sight, except a wooden ship bobbing against the waves trying to stay afloat.

The ship was returning home from a long voyage and was caught out in the storm. It started off well enough, the sky had few clouds in the sky and the temperature was perfect. But as the journey went on, the temperature started to drop and the wind started to pick up. Home was so close, but the sailors fearfully realized that they could never reach their family.

The rain whipped at their bare skin and clothing as the sea tossed their boat around like a toy being played with a child. They feared for their own mortality and prayed for help from the angels above, hoping that the storm would take mercy on their lives. There was nothing that the poor men could do, but wait.

A great wave came up from the stern and crashed into the boat, shattering their dreams of getting out alive. The boat splintered and split into two by the sheer force of the wave. Most of the crew died on impact, except for one.  

He was the prince of the nearby kingdom, and his name was Eric. He clung on a piece of wood, trying desperately not to drown. He was damp all over, his white uniform soiled and his black hair a mess.

Down below, the little mermaid observed the disaster. _Why, he looks like the statue in my collection!_ thought the mermaid. _I shall go and save him and he’ll reward me by marrying me, and then it will be the life that I dreamed of._

_Picked him for her own,_

_Pressed her body to his body,_

She swam up to the prince and wrapped her arms around his neck. She brought him deeper and deeper into the depths, not knowing that humans needed air and not water. His lungs were beginning to collapse onto themselves. Blood pounded into his eyes and he felt cold – so cold.

The prince struggle against her grasp, but the mermaid held on tight. _Silly human, don’t you understand that I’m trying to save you? Be still and I’ll tend to your injuries in the palace._

If the humans could breathe in the water, then Eric would be captivated by all the wondrous things that were happening around him. Mermaids and mermen were talking with each other in their strange language, schools of fish moved as one body, and whales swam calmly calling out to each other.

_Laughed; and plunging down_

_Forgot in cruel happiness_

His conscience started to drift and his movements began to weaken. The darkness began to engulf him and death was imminent… What a shame to go out this way, not knowing who dragged him to death…

The mermaid, in the meanwhile, was ecstatic. She couldn’t wait to show her family the human that she found. She hoped that by bringing him to the water, he’ll turn into a merman and they’ll get to live together. But there was no sign of any change in his appearance. His legs stayed legs.

She stopped at the gates and looked at the prince. His eyes were closed and his skin was pale.

The mermaid gently rubbed his face, but there was no response. She shook his body back and forth, and there was still no response. Her frustration grew greater and greater with each passing second.   

“Why won’t you answer? Wake up, wake up!”  

_That even lovers drown._

The realization hit her. If she was a human, then tears would be falling down her face. She let out a loud and anguished shriek as the prince that she loved felt cold in her hands. Part of her wanted to die, and the other part to sit there and cry for eternity.

The mermaid did neither of these things. Instead, she mournfully let the prince drift off from her arms and out into the sea, letting the currents take him home.


End file.
